basement development

[heybert]

Going to develop my basement. Need some input regarding the following:

Sub-floor - what to use or do I really need it?

Flooring - vinyl planks or laminate?

Going to have one bedroom and a hobby room. Rest is open floor space where the kids can run around.

Thanks in advance for the input

[slough shark]

Using those subfloor panels makes it a bit warmer and they are easy to work with, not too cheap is the main issue. Vinyl plank for sure in the basement if there is any chance of water damage otherwise comes down to preference

[Dewey Cox]

I think everyone agrees that those subfloor squares are a great idea, but then they price them out and go without.
My brother glued down vinyl plank floor in our moms basement a couple years ago, and I think it's the best option.

[silverdoctor]

If I were doing a basement now, I'd plan for water damage. Whatever you put down is either easily removed or not affected by water.

My friend in St. Albert spent a small fortune on his basement with subfloor, then beautiful floating laminate. And that's just what it did during one of the hundred year floods. 2 of his cars were literally submerged in water, and the floor was floating a foot from the ceiling.

[CNP]

I'd recommend locking vinyl plank (floating) over underlay

I have 2,400 sq ft of essential vinyl plank flooring in my house. Basement, main, loft...

[elkhunter11]

We had the basement developed last summer, and we went with the the foam/wood sub floor and vinyl planking. It does cost more, but it is very comfortable to walk on, and I would make the same choice if I was developing another basement.

[heybert]

Thanks for the input guys!

[Coyotebutcher]

You should definitely lay a subfloor first. Concrete is rarely flat and using subfloor allows you to get airflow under the floor to help with moisture and allows you to shim up low spots and end up with a nice flat floor

[walker1]

I did mine 10 years ago and like others used the sub floor people here have mentioned. But, I didn't buy the 2 by 2 squares. I found 5 foot rolls of the delta underlay and covered with 4 by 8 sheets of 5/8 tounge and grove. Less seems and saved money. Anchored to concrete with fasteners ( maybe not necessary.) Floated laminate with underlay over it. Fireplace in basement makes this nice and warm.

[captain91]

Originally Posted by walker1

I did mine 10 years ago and like others used the sub floor people here have mentioned. But, I didn't buy the 2 by 2 squares. I found 5 foot rolls of the delta underlay and covered with 4 by 8 sheets of 5/8 tounge and grove. Less seems and saved money. Anchored to concrete with fasteners ( maybe not necessary.) Floated laminate with underlay over it. Fireplace in basement makes this nice and warm.

This is the ticket. I work for a builder here in Calgary and this is the method we use. We wrap our foundations with the DMX waterproofing membrane, use the same product on the basement floor and sheet it. Time, labour & money saved over the 2x2 panels.

[blackmamba]

Definitely if you go with a Dri-core subfloor ,it will help with air flow and the flooring you choose will be warmer . Recommended tolerance for any floating floor is 3/16" over 10 feet so your dri-core will have to be damn near perfectly level to stay within manufacturer specs (if going with laminate) .. if you go with a glue down vinyl plank (greater than 5mm) it will help with the structural integrity of the floor aswell and your tolerances change to 1/4" over 6 feet.. so essentially getting away with then a less than perfect subfloor. Not to mention vinyl plank is far more resistant to damage compared to laminate , and repairs are easier to do compared to a tongue and Grove type floor should you ever need to do one ..


Mamba

[DiabeticKripple]

Had laminate in the GF's parents basement, in 2015 Chestermere got nailed with a big rain storm and their basement flooded. The laminate was junk. Replaced with vinyl.

[Sushi]

Engineered hardwood is much, much nicer than pressed sawdust or plastic laminate. The engineered hardwood is real hardwood glued onto plywood. You can feel the warmth and the grain under your feet and it can be installed to float over concrete. It is tongue and grove - apply adhesive to the groove and slide/tap into place.

[Knot Rite]

Originally Posted by Sushi

Engineered hardwood is much, much nicer than pressed sawdust or plastic laminate. The engineered hardwood is real hardwood glued onto plywood. You can feel the warmth and the grain under your feet and it can be installed to float over concrete. It is tongue and grove - apply adhesive to the groove and slide/tap into place.

I disagree. I would not use hardwood in a basement. If you live in Alberta you know that water could and may be an issue. Not a good ideal in my opinion.

Bobby

[Heyupduck]

I suppose it depends on how much money you have, and how much headroom.

I live in a bungalow with a low ceiling. Although my wife said we'd use the basement a lot, I kinda suspected we wouldn't - still back then with little kids running around I didn't like the VA tile floor... so...

I bought special order Sisal mats, and put high quality underlay underneath.
Its not as nice, or as warm as sub floor, but it works just fine, and if I could go back in time I would do it again.

Also 4 or five years ago we had minor flooding - pulling up the mats and underlay was a breeze